Warmth
by AGirlNamedEd
Summary: Piccolo makes a habit of not being noticed. The one time he is noticed, though, is the coldest night of the year.


**I wrote this as a Christmas present for pickleandthequeen/ShirePower! She'd asked for Piccolo being brought in to warm up by Chi-Chi and Gohan and I know she ships Chiccolo so I threw that in too because YOU CAN'T STOP ME.**

 **Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoy it! I'm always open to feedback if you have any.**

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"You're going to get yourself killed."

Piccolo glowered at Chi-Chi as best he could from under the enormous pile of blankets he was wrapped in. "Not if you smother me to death first."

She wagged a finger at him, other hand propped on her hip. "It's far too cold out there to be standing around turning yourself into a green icicle! Think about the kind of example you're setting for Gohan! He's young and impressionable, you know!"

He grumbled, but pulled the blankets around him a little tighter and didn't meet her eyes, and she decided to call it a win. "Now," she said, folding her arms, "I'm going to go make you some hot tea. Don't you dare move from those blankets! We wouldn't want you losing any more heat than you already have." Ignoring his protests, she bustled around the kitchen, filling the kettle and heating up the stove. The nerve of him! Standing around on her rooftop in the middle of a blizzard! She half thought he _wanted_ to freeze to death with behaviour like that!

"Mom?" Gohan was in the doorway, eyeing Piccolo's blankets apprehensively. "Why is Piccolo wrapped in all the spare blankets?"

"What a great question, Gohan," Piccolo muttered. "Why _is_ Piccolo wrapped in all the spare blankets?"

She pointed at him. "You stay out of this. Gohan, sweetie, go back to bed. Piccolo was outside in the cold, so I'm warming him up."

Instead of going upstairs like she'd told him to, Gohan plopped down on the floor next to his old teacher. "How come you were outside, Piccolo? Didn't you notice how cold it was?"

"Of course I noticed, I'm not an idiot," Piccolo grumbled. "I had my reasons, and I'll leave it at that."

"Come on, Piccolo," Gohan begged. Chi-Chi stayed silent, knowing that Piccolo was more likely to open up to Gohan than to her. It bothered her, for some reason, but she knew they'd always been close, and nothing could shake that bond.

"So maybe I was worried about how your family was doing," Piccolo snapped. "Is that a crime?"

Chi-Chi turned, eyebrows high in surprise. "You—you were worried about us?"

Piccolo eyed her swollen belly. "I don't really understand how human biology works, but this is a delicate time for you. I was…concerned that you would be having trouble."

She laid a hand on her stomach. "I'm not so fragile as you think," she said, turning away to fiddle with the teapot. "But it was sweet of you to worry." Her cheeks prickled with heat. It wasn't often that she was on the receiving end of Piccolo's caring—most of the time it was reserved for Gohan. But every so often he'd show he cared about others too, and when he showed he cared for her—well, she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her a little happy.

It had been six months since her husband died, and while she still missed him with everything she was, maybe it was time to move on. She peeked over her shoulder at Gohan wrapping himself around Piccolo like an extra blanket. Piccolo's face was flushed when he looked up at her and she quickly turned around again. She could do worse than Piccolo. He was strong, gruff but rarely rude to her or her family, he'd grown into a parentlike role easier than Goku ever had, and he was _incredibly_ easy on the eyes. Chi-Chi blushed and snatched the kettle from the stove. This was all assuming Piccolo actually _was_ interested in anything like that with her. For all she knew, he was only concerned about her because she was his favourite person's primary caregiver.

"Wait, hold on," Gohan said. "Why didn't you just come inside if you were worried about Mom instead of standing outside in the snow?"

Chi-Chi turned back to them and folded her arms. She was interested in his answer, too.

To her surprise, Piccolo blushed darker and retreated further into the blankets. "I didn't want to intrude."

"You've intruded enough, we're used to it," Chi-Chi said, waving him off. "Out with it, why not?"

"I thought you'd object." His eyes flicked to her face, then away again. "I know you don't like me very much, so showing up at your house without invitation just to check up on you…" He shrugged. "Didn't think it'd go over well."

"Piccolo." Chi-Chi poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. "Would I have brought you in and warmed you up if I didn't like you very much?"

He hesitated. "I suppose not."

She turned and poured herself some tea. "Go back to bed, Gohan. Piccolo and I have things to discuss."


End file.
